March 11, 2014

Back to the Mat: My Power Yoga Quest for Zen

Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

I have practiced yoga on and off for several years, but never with the required dedication. Don't be mistaken - yoga has always been a haven for me, meditating during shavasana and pushing through a challenging sequence through breath... But I would always get caught up with my social life and find some excuse that would eventually result in the cessation of practice after a few months in the studio.

Whilst it is the effects of yoga on my mind and spirit that continue to bring me back to practising, it's hard to be specific and measure a goal that relates to my mental clarity, so I set myself a goal for 2014 - to be able to do scorpion pose (vrschikasana) by the end of the year. With two months of procrastination already under my belt this year, I decided last week it was time to return to the mat and dive into yoga practice.

There are many different styles of yoga, and up until this point, my favourite by far had been bikram. I relished in the 37 degree heat, beads of sweat dripping down my limbs during the long pose hold-times. Bikram yoga was so much more mentally and physically challenging than any other style class I had attended, until Power Vinyasa.

Unfortunately, no bikram timetables work with my current work/life schedule, so, looking elsewhere I landed upon Power Vinyasa (just one of the several different styles offered at Power Living in Neutral Bay.) Vinyasa means 'flow' in sanskrit: the movements are fluid, making for a cardio intensive routine. The dynamic class is practiced in a heated room and is truly physically demanding - whilst yoga is more to me than a workout, I'm definitely not one to complain if I'm toning my muscles and raising my heart rate.

I feel as though I'm currently in the right headspace to be focused on improving my yoga practice, and I can't wait to share all the changes I experience with my mind and body. I'd love to hear about your experiences with yoga... How long have you been practising? What is your favourite style? Which poses do you find difficult?